To the names of world class Alexander Isak and talismanic midfield duo Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, perhaps we will soon need to add Dr Ian Mitchell.
Dr Mitchell is Newcastle United‘s head of psychology, highly-rated at St James’ Park but a man that even the most devoted supporter might struggle to pick out in a line up.
As the backroom staff member charged with helping coaching staff and players smooth out the highs and lows of the black and white rollercoaster, his will be an important role in the run up to 16 March and the Carabao Cup final.
Manager Eddie Howe is almost certain to lean on him for advice as he bids to learn from the mistakes of 2023, when the big day seemed almost too big for some at the club.
Having the mental edge might be the final piece of the silverware jigsaw for Newcastle.
This is a team that has the tools to beat any team in the country on their day – Wednesday night’s dismantling of in-form Arsenal proved that beyond doubt.
But the most pressing question in the run up to next month’s Carabao Cup final is whether they can smash through the psychological barriers built up over 70 years that have blocked the path of some world class predecessors.
If you were parsing the magnificent Arsenal win for proof, you would be encouraged by what you saw.
This was an outstanding win – over the course of two legs arguably the most impressive achievement on Howe’s watch – but all the more remarkable for the ruthless way they managed to do it.
Doubts? Maybe they rebounded around the city as the bright winter sun set behind St James’ Park – but not in the minds of players who took the words of one flag in the Gallowgate End and proceeded to “Get into them”.
This was not just a passion play, though. Howe’s Newcastle are at their best when they manage to channel the energy of the crowd and merge it with the manager’s meticulous tactical plan and that is exactly what happened against Arsenal.
Five at the back – a system Howe revealed to his team with just three days of preparation – could have been interpreted as a defensive, safety-first philosophy.
But not the way Newcastle sprung from their traps, with Anthony Gordon’s ferocious press setting the tone for a team that won each and every one of their individual battles.
If there are doubts about whether Newcastle can knock out the middleweights this season – see home defeats by West Ham, Bournemouth and Fulham – they are proving adept at going toe-to-toe with the heavyweights.
That surely bodes well for Wembley, where there will be need to ice in veins if they are to etch their names into club history.
It feels different, doesn’t it? The Newcastle United that heads to Wembley next month is not the same as the one that came up short against Manchester United in 2023.
Then the occasion overwhelmed them: not just the day itself, when getting to Wembley seemed to represent an achievement in itself, but an overblown build-up that obscured focus and drained energy.
Two years ago the yearning for the day itself coincided with their worst run of form of the season.
Kieran Trippier hinted at that this week when he referenced the city’s mad scramble for match tickets, which even drew the players in as they scrambled to respond to requests from those in the city desperate to be part of the weekend.
By the time it arrived, Newcastle played as if it had all weighed a little too heavily on them.
Even the supporters, who travelled to the capital in huge numbers, could not sustain the noise and fervour past the first few minutes at Wembley.
The biggest regret of that day? That Erik Ten Hag’s mediocre Manchester United side were not even made to work that hard for the trophy.
That can’t be allowed to happen this time. As much as they can, the club need to make it feel routine – to almost block out the fervour.
Bruno Guimaraes was on message afterwards, beaming that “We are getting used to finals” in the post-game mixed zone.
Howe deserves so much credit for what he has achieved at Newcastle, this latest line on his CV as impressive as anything he has done on Tyneside.
In 2023 there was momentum and freshness about the Newcastle project, a feeling that anything was possible as funds created a sense that anything was possible.
This time Newcastle have navigated the cold, hard reality of financial fair play and a year when they thudded down to earth.
In December they were mid-table and meandering. A third successive transfer window has just passed without a proper first team addition. Players were lost against his wishes.
And yet through it all he has persevered, getting on with the job, setting the right tone publicly and making the correct calls.
On Wednesday he recalled Sven Botman and Trippier, a player many had written off. The former was effortlessly efficient, the latter took the game to Arsenal, utilising every ounce of his experience to mould proceedings in Newcastle’s favour.
Add that to Newcastle’s world class performers – Isak continues to look peerless – and there should be belief that they can end that agonising 70-year wait for a trophy.
They celebrated at the end but for the players at least there is a brooding sense of unfinished business. It feels different: now is the time for this impressive group to prove it.
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